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Topic: Do you listen to the radio? (Read 3768 times)

Since I've started to work at my summer internship this summer, I have been listening to the radio in the car on the way to work and on the way home after work, every day. Before that, it had been a while since I last listened to the radio. After all, when would I? With class being the only responsibility that required me to leave the apartment on a daily basis, I really had no opportunity to tune into any radio shows. I now have two computers at the apartment and I have no car. (I do now but only for the duration of the internship, which ends this coming Friday).

At first I would listen to, if memory serves me right, Kiss FM which basically played the same five currently popular pop songs, two of which were by Justin Timberlake. For a while it seemed entertaining enough but then it got old fast.. I used the car radio's scan function and soon discovered true gem and absolute radio bliss: NPR. I'd listen and still do listen to "Morning Edition" on the way to work in the morning and then to "All Things Considered" in the afternoon on the way back home from work. What can I say.. I'm addicted! NPR programs are of such high quality in every possible way that I was shocked to find something that good on the radio. The editing, competence and intelligence of the anchors, the music played in between shows, the content... all of it is on a very, very high level of quality.

Not only that, but having found their website, I am impressed even more. NPR is EVERYWHERE.

There are online radio streams, podcasts, RSS feeds, the website itself.. it seems it doesn't end.

Now I'm just hoping that the rumors of the iPhone having a built-in but as of yet unrevealed FM tuner will turn out to be true

Nah I stopped listening to radio a long time ago (got tired of the repetitive songs) though the broadcasts were ok and amusing sometimes. Though now I just listen to online radio or grab some podcasts and listen to them.

I wonder if the American Kiss FM would be the same as the Spanish one... Anyway, yes I use to listen it a lot. We are lucky to have a really good public radio, with various stations, that provides everything you need, from news to debates, from classical music to the latest trends in pop (pop as popular music, not Britney Spears and other bullshit).

My ISP here in Australia offers FREE Radio streaming (not everything, just a good selection), so often the radio is being streamed now (as the sound is better on the computer than through the cheap FM radio).

I really like the idea of community radio too, so when I'm not listening to Swiss Groove I'll be tuning into the neighbour's radio show

Over the years though I've developed an aversion to Talk-Back, repetitive hits and opera that sounds like cats being strangled, which keeps me hopping around the dial or Internet for a few well loved programmes.

I agree that NPR is great. But it ain't "everywhere". Until recently I had been a long haul trucker in the US for almost 13 years. VERY discouraging to get hooked on an NPR program only to loose it going down the road whilst tuning madly trying to find another station. (Nebraska does an admirable job of covering the state, BTW. Especially traversing the 450 miles across I80.)

Then there's the problem that, even though Morning Edition is very good, they really screwed up when they "shuffled" Bob Edwards. Man, that was so stupid. I think that he's the greatest!

My solutions to the above (and several other's noted) were two:1. XM Radio (which picked up Bob in a flash and, basically, built a whole channel around him). This also pretty well solved the repeating songs and similar problems.2. Audible.com where you can subscribe to your favorite programs and never miss a beat ... as well as listen on your computer and/or portable MP3, Palm or whatever.

The Google Desktop has a handy NPR gadget, too.

Enjoy and be informed!!

TruckerJim says "You can go down a hill too slow a thousand times. But too fast only once."

My ISP here in Australia offers FREE Radio streaming (not everything, just a good selection), so often the radio is being streamed now (as the sound is better on the computer than through the cheap FM radio).

Swiss Groove, eh? I'm Swiss! Heh.

BTW, while we're speaking of radio, you guys know about Screamer Radio, right?